UniBond Premier

26th April 2006

Attendance - 272

Team - Campbell, Atkinson, Brumwell, Farthing, Wilford, Radigan, Yalcin, Nicholson (Barber 56), Ormerod, Brunskill, Thornton.

Report - by Andrew Snaith - WHITBY saw off title challengers Frickley with ease – and left ex-boss Harry Dunn with one hand on the championship trophy.
Second half strikes from Ant Ormerod and ex-Turkish youth international Lev Yalcin capped an outstanding display from the Blues on Wednesday night.
Dunn's Blyth Spartans remain top but now have a crucial game in hand on Frickley and a superior goal difference. One more win from their last two games would effectively seal the title for Blyth. The game started at a frantic pace with Frickley's small but vocal contingent roaring them on. Youngster Darren Thornton picked up an early booking for Whitby for a lunge at visiting captain Steve Kennedy.
The lively Chris Adam was at the centre of much of the action, firstly diverting a long ball goalwards but keeper Dave Campbell smothered the danger. Adam, an ex-Sheffield United junior, then produced a comedy miss as the ball rolled invitingly for him on the edge of the box.
But to everyone's bewilderment, his pitiful finish pea-rolled wide of the far post. Adam also hurt himself challenging Campbell and was later booked for a foul on Aron Wilford. Ormerod had a great chance to put the Blues ahead midway through when a neat pass put him through but veteran keeper Gary Ingham denied him twice with his legs. Aron Wilford was unlucky as Ingham did well to tip his curling free-kick round the post when it looked destined for the corner of the net.
Leading scorer Danny Brunskill also shrugged off his marker to power in a shot but Ingham was down quickly to block.
The second half started slowly but ended prematurely for Whitby's midfield marvel Scott Nicholson. He was stretchered off early in the second half with suspected ligament damage. But following a short delay for Nicholson to leave the field, the Blues caught Frickley on the hop and went ahead on 57 minutes.
Ormerod seized on a loose ball and jinked past a defender before hammering home inside the keeper's near post.
Three minutes later, Whitby spurned a chance to double their lead when Thornton's shot ballooned off a defender and Ormerod blazed the follow-up over from close in. Spurred on by that escape, Frickley produced a short period of pressure which saw Wilford almost head through his own goal from a curling left-wing cross.
A decision to add five minutes of injury time only added to the tension but Blues made the game safe deep into stoppage time.
A neat move involving Paul Atkinson and Ormerod saw the latter release Yalcin to prod home from close range to severely derail the West Yorkshire side's title dreams.